5 Great Books to read

There are some books out there that are what I would call "modern classics." They're popular children or young books and cult classics that a lot of people have heard of but maybe haven't read. That's what my experience with some of these books was, and I only recently got around to reading a few of them. They all are some of my favorite books of all time, and I encourage you to go ahead and read them too, because there can be a special appreciation to be felt when reading books written for younger audiences.

1. 'Howl's Moving Castle' by Diana Wynne Jones

I first saw the Studio Ghibli movie 'Howl's Moving Castle' my freshman year of high school. I quickly and easily fell in love with the characters and plot and was beyond excited when I found out there was a book. It took me almost five years to finally read it, though, and I wish I had read it sooner! I didn't expect to love it even more than I loved the book. If you're familiar with the characters, Book Howl and Book Sophie are even more spectacular in the novel. It has its moments that are stressful, but overall its a relaxing, enjoyable book to read while relaxing during the summer, particularly if you've seen the movie and are familiar with the plot.

2. 'Stardust' by Neil Gaiman

This is another book that I wanted to read for a long time but took forever to get around to reading, and I regret waiting to read this one even more than I do the previous one. It's also another book that has a movie adaptation of it. It's been a while since I've seen it, but I think it was pretty accurate. I'm not a Neil Gaiman fan, but I am definitely a 'Stardust' fan (and a 'Coraline' fan, another book you should read if you haven't already), so it's no surprise that I think the book is much better than the book, mostly because the book contains such wonderful descriptions and details about the world of Faerie. The book is also pretty funny, which I found to be delightfully surprising. The ending of the book is also very rewarding and enjoyable and it's not very long, so I would say it's a pretty ideal light read.

3. 'A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeleine L' Engle

Another book that has a movie! I haven't seen this one, however, because I'm afraid of either a.) the existential crisis I had when I was in the fourth grade when I first read it, or b.) being extremely disappointed. 'A Wrinkle in Time' and it's succeeding books have what I think are heavier themes and topics and is therefore a denser read despite its short length, but the epic plot makes it a great book to read and think about in the summer. Its a staple on any book lover's list of read books for these reasons as well.

4. 'The Secret Garden' by Francis Hogsten Burnett

I read this book for the first time around the same time I read 'A Wrinkle in Time,' and I loved it just as much even though it's very different. It is just as beautifully magical, though. I think this is a quieter novel, taking readers back to when India was a part of the British Empire. The majority of the novel, however, takes place on a quiet manner on a British moor. 'The Secret Garden' is an enjoyable, pleasant read and will take you back to a time when you were more similar to the main character, Mary, or "Mary, Mary, quite contrary," as the other children called her, than you currently are.

5. 'The Phantom Tollbooth' by Norton Juster

When I was in the 4th grade I was lucky enough to have a teacher for literature who was spectacular. She was (and is!) a writer of children's literature, and that is how I started down my journey of wanting to be a writer. We read several books in class and, and 'The Phantom Tollbooth,' was one of them. It's very different from almost everything else I've ever read. It's enchanting and clever with thought provoking wordplay. 'The Phantom Tollbooth' is another book that makes you think of it long after you're done reading it, and for that reason I think it's an important book to read and experience.

I'm The Girl Without A 'Friend Group'

For example, I'll be sitting in the lounge with the people on my floor, just talking about how everyone's days went. Someone will turn to someone else and ask something along the lines of, "When are we going to so-and-so's place tonight?" Sometimes it'll even be, "Are you ready to go to so-and-so's place now? Okay, we'll see you later, Taylor!"

It's little things like that, little things that remind me I don't have a "friend group." And it's been like that forever. I don't have the same people to keep me company 24 hours of the day, the same people to do absolutely everything with, and the same people to cling to like glue. I don't have a whole cast of characters to entertain me and care for me and support me. Sometimes, especially when it feels obvious to me, not having a "friend group" makes me feel like a waste of space. If I don't have more friends than I can count, what's the point in trying to make friends at all?

I can tell you that there is a point. As a matter of fact, just because I don't have a close-knit clique doesn't mean I don't have any friends. The friends I have come from all different walks of life, some are from my town back home and some are from across the country. I've known some of my friends for years, and others I've only known for a few months. It doesn't really matter where they come from, though. What matters is that the friends I have all entertain me, care for me, and support me. Just because I'm not in that "friend group" with all of them together doesn't mean that we can't be friends to each other.

Still, I hate avoiding sticking myself in a box, and I'm not afraid to seek out friendships. I've noticed that a lot of the people I see who consider themselves to be in a "friend group" don't really venture outside the pack very often. I've never had a pack to venture outside of, so I don't mind reaching out to new people whenever.

I'm not going to lie, when I hear people talking about all the fun they're going to have with their "friend group" over the weekend, part of me wishes I could be included in something like that. I do sometimes want to have the personality type that allows me to mesh perfectly into a clique. I couldn't tell you what it is about me, but there is some part of me that just happens to function better one-on-one with people.

I hated it all my life up until very recently, and that's because I've finally learned that not having a "friend group" is never going to be the same as not having friends.

The best remedy in the world consists of a little bit of fresh air blowing through your hair mixed with some salt water trickling down your skin. The ocean is refreshing, vastly mysterious, colorfully beautiful, and very humbling.

3. Jump in!

A brisk shock of cold water stimulates the entire body with an adrenaline rush, promoting circulation and heart health. It also helps to use up calories to persereve body temperature and helps to burn fat.

6. It's a distraction from life

Floating on salt water is easier to do than fresh water because the salt makes the water more dense which allows you to have an easier time floating. This can create a calming effect, which can even slow down brain waves providing a slight distraction from life while also giving a sense of mindfulness.

7. 2.2 million species live in the ocean

2.2 million!!!! Between 50- 80% of all life on Earth is under the sea and a large sum of it has not even been discovered yet. How crazy is it that out of all the different species in the world we were chosen to be humans?

9. Plankton

Need a breath of some fresh oxygen? Take a trip to the ocean! Without plankton, we would not be alive. Plankton is providing 90% of the ocean's photosynthesis and also 50- 85% of the oxygen we are breathing right now! Sea air is actually composed of healthy negative ions that help to build up our bodies capacity to absorb more oxygen. Talk about clearing your mind!

10. The ocean is home.

No matter what coast you are on or where you find yourself in the world, as long as you can make your way down to the rolling salt water, the ocean is always going to be there promising to be an everlasting home for you. Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Southern, Indian- it does not matter which one you are at because the ocean is always going to be just that; the ocean, a place to call home.

Never pass up the opportunity to go to the beach. The ocean can help change our minds to the way we perceive our lives through the enchanting beauties that come with the mysteries of the depths, or even in the serenity of the shoreline.

For all that the ocean gives to help us, it is so important that we give back to the ocean.

Take care of her and all the life that she bears because the most important lesson that I learned from the ocean is that as much as the ocean gives, the ocean also takes. As much as she can cure us, she can also really hurt us. Respecting the ocean and its limits are something that I can not stress enough, and I want to urge you to never underestimate the power that the ocean bares.